


Dinner Disaster

by sophh



Series: Keep Taking My Breath Away: Inktober 2020 [11]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Dinner at the Weasleys, F/M, Fremione - Freeform, Hermione goes on a tirade, argument, but only briefly, dinner gone wrong, house elf rights, mild Ron bashing potentially?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:21:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26998861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophh/pseuds/sophh
Summary: When Ron makes an ill-timed remark about house elves, Hermione loses it. Contains a potentially unflattering portrayal of Ron.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Fred Weasley
Series: Keep Taking My Breath Away: Inktober 2020 [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947601
Comments: 4
Kudos: 59





	Dinner Disaster

**Author's Note:**

> Day 11: disgusting
> 
> I feel I wasn't terribly kind in my portrayal of Ron here. Sorry, Ron. :(

Hermione wasn't in the best of moods. An important work proposal had been nixed, and even the prospect of dinner at the Burrow wasn't enough to cheer her up. Still, she managed to get through a very lovely dinner at which nearly all of Fred's family were present. 

Well, she _almost_ managed to. 

Over dessert, which consisted of Mrs. Weasley's impossibly rich chocolate cake, Ron happened to make a comment about house elves. As in, the very creatures she spent her days fighting to help. 

"I always thought it'd be nice to have a house elf," he said, spraying the tablecloth with crumbs and icing. "Dead useful, those things are." 

_"Things?"_

Everyone turned to look at Hermione, who had—she was sure—a most appalled look on her face. 

"Things?" she repeated, her voice dangerously soft. 

Mrs. Weasley cleared her throat, probably in an attempt to fill the awkward silence that had fallen. "More cake, Hermione, dear?" 

Hermione ignored her. "They aren't _things_ , Ronald, and you of all people should know better than to talk about them like that." 

Fred aimed a kick at his brother under the table and grinned triumphantly when Ron let out a strangled yelp. 

"Ron, you prat, have some respect!" he mouthed, as Ginny shot the beleaguered Ron a glare so fierce, Hermione was surprised that he didn't spontaneously combust. 

"It is disgusting how they're treated," Hermione continued. "Wizards have taken advantage of them for so long, and now, no one wants to change that because they all benefit from their servitude!"

Arthur quietly began to clear the table—Percy hastily pushed his glasses up on his nose before joining him in tidying up. Mrs. Weasley looked back and forth between Ron and Hermione with a worried expression on her face, while Fred and George gave Hermione identical encouraging nods to continue. 

"I have worked tirelessly to expands the rights afforded to elves, but attitudes like that are the reason that progress has been so slow," she ranted. "They have feelings too, you know." 

"I—I know that," Ron sputtered. In the background, Ginny was gesturing at him to stop talking, but to no avail. "It was a figure of speech, Hermione! I wasn't actually calling them 'things'!"

Hermione stood, her outrage so great that she was shaking. "You'd say anything to excuse your bigotry, wouldn't you, Ron?"

Ron seemed to be working very hard not to respond—his hands were curled in fists at his side, and his face was slowly turning purple. 

"Hermione, dear—" Mrs. Weasley began.

Fred got to his feet and wrapped an arm around Hermione's shoulders. He didn't tell her to calm down, for which she was very grateful. His comforting presence helped to soothe her ire somewhat, however, and she took a deep breath before speaking again. 

"Thank you for dinner, Mrs. Weasley," she said, giving the matriarch a fleeting smile. "I think it would be best if I go now, before I say anything I regret." 

"Oh," Mrs. Weasley said faintly, looking around at the somber and uncomfortable faces surrounding her. "Well, dear, do come back soon..."

Hermione nodded, grabbed her handbag, and turned to Fred. "I'll meet you back home." 

"I'll just come with you," Fred said, quickly leaning over to kiss his mother on the cheek. "Take care, Mum, Dad, everyone...except Ron." 

Ron hung his head as the pair exited the dining room. 

"I'm sorry, Fred," Hermione said as soon as they were out of earshot of the other Weasleys.

"Why are you sorry, Hermione?" Fred placed his hands on her shoulders and looked at her sternly. "Don't apologize for being passionate about something. Ever."

She nodded, blinking back tears at the unexpectedly impactful advice. "You're right, I shouldn't. Thank you for the reminder." 

Fred wrapped his arms around her and kissed her briefly. "You're welcome." 

**Author's Note:**

> And there you have the fastest argument ever. :p In my defense, it's HARD to write that many characters in one short little scene!
> 
> Also, we all need a Fred in our lives to remind us of things like that. <3


End file.
